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WOMEN on the go need not worry about making a fashion faux pas thanks to a special mall campaign to ensure shoppers receive expert advice when it’s needed.
The ‘All Eyes on You’ promotion at Moda Mall is offering the kingdom’s sassy sisters complimentary beauty consultations at its Styling Lounge.
The aim is to provide a shoppers’ haven, allowing them to keep up with the latest fads and ensure they know what’s ‘in’ today and what is definitely ‘yesterday’.
The lounge, staged at the Central Court of the exclusive shopping destination, features hair, nail and image professionals on standby to provide personalised styling advice for women.
The glamorous area was unveiled last week by leading TV beauty expert and prominent make-up artist, Joelle Mardinian. Fashionable females flocked to the mall to get a glimpse of the make-over goddess as she shared her tips on the hottest hair, make-up and colours for the coming season.
The style icon, best known for her popular, prime-time TV show ‘Ma3 Joelle Ahla’ (With Joelle, it’s nicer) on MBC1, said: “The Styling Lounge is absolutely gorgeous and is held in a great location. This mall is luxurious and houses all the high-end brands – it’s my kind of mall. To have everything under one roof is amazing.”
Joelle’s weekly show, which attracts more than 50 million viewers, focuses on transforming women’s looks and finding their inner-beauty. Her reputation for ‘reinventing’ faces has brought her to the attention of audiences and fashionistas alike. In fact, her ability to provide a unique make-up look has become her trademark.
Joelle, who has a two-year-old daughter, Ella Sofia, grew up surrounded by beauty and make-up and says she was influenced and inspired by her Italian/Syrian mother, Sofia.
She said: “My mother is a make-up artist and an absolutely stunning woman. I’ve been mesmerised by her all my life. She used to turn heads everywhere she went and she is very talented.
“At five-years-old I knew about Vogue and Marie Claire and two years later I had my own professional make-up bag as any colour my mum didn’t want would end up in my bag. I knew about different brands at a very young age.”
At the age of 14 she moved to London with her family where she formalised her love of make-up by earning a qualification from the Grease Paint make-up school. Shortly afterwards her career took off when she began working on photo shoots, video clips and concerts for several Sony Records stars. She said: “In London you don’t work in salons. Being a make-up artist is a profession where you work with models on catwalks, TV shows and magazines. So, it was really tough to make it but I was persistent and I think persistence pays off in the end.
“I think God tests us all the time. He wants to give us what we want but not easily. He wants to see how much we want that success and for me it’s always been about success. I wanted to have my name written in magazines or in the credits of a video shoot.”
While holidaying in Dubai, she approached MBC with the idea of hosting a beauty and make-over show for women.
“MBC had been looking for someone so it was a match made in heaven. I visited Dubai in 2004 and never left,” she added.
“The show has been on air for eight years. Nobody thought it would last for that long but as long as people enjoy the show it will continue to be successful.”
In 2010, Joelle was recognised as the Arab Woman of the Year for her success and accomplishments throughout the Middle East. She is also the founder and owner of ‘Maison de Joelle’, a chain of beauty salons in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
To commemorate the launch of Moda Mall’s Styling Lounge, Joelle staged two live beauty consultation sessions highlighting the work she had carried out on two models. She said: “Big hair is in this season and, as for fashion, strong colours such as orange and red are very popular. Also, anything leather is a must, especially high leather gloves … but I don’t know where you would wear them in the Gulf!”
After the demonstration invited guests and aspiring make-up artists were able to pose with the celebrity as well as pick her brains for fashion advice.
Adoring fan Nadia Zaid, 29, a make-up artist from Isa Town, said: “I’m a big fan of Joelle’s. I love her show and she has inspired me to pitch a similar show for BTV. That’s why I really wanted to meet her. I love the idea of having a styling lounge because it can help keep me up-to-date with the latest trends.”
Meanwhile, other shoppers met with the beauticians on hand, including image and fashion consulting services from Personage, leading hair-styling tips from Heads-up Salon and nail design from Lavish Salon.
Star Joelle’s look-alike Joelle Boujaclik, 32, a jewellery designer and fashion consultant, from Saar, said: “The Styling Lounge is a great concept and gives the mall more life. It’s important to have all these stylists in one place. It’s like heaven for ladies – to have hair, nails, make-up and fashion consultants under one roof, what a great idea!”
Some guests even got their nails painted by Lavish’s artistic nail professionals while waiting to get their pictures taken with the TV personality.
Sondos Al Alawi, 32, owner of Lavish Salon, from Budaiya, said: “Nail art is a big hit in my business. It’s not about having a normal colour anymore – it’s about having a design and mixing colours. You can have something glamorous or outrageous depending on the designs with colours like neons and metallics.
“This is an opportunity for women to follow the latest trends. Our lives have become so hectic that we don’t always have time to even pick up a magazine and find out what’s in and what’s not.
“Having everything in the same location to get tips on hair, nails, make-up and fashion is a great concept. I encourage every woman to come and take advantage of this lounge.”
Personage’s certified image consultant and owner, 36-year-old Abir Achkar, from Riffa Views, met with shoppers to discuss the latest styles as well as clothes and accessories that may have a classic shine rather than a trendy one.
She said: “This event is educational, like a workshop. Most people here follow trends, but not the most suitable styles. That’s why I do lots of workshops about colour analysis, image consultancy, body mapping, what to wear and what not to wear.
“We all have a passion for fashion but we need to know what suits us best in terms of colour, cut, patterns, make-up and hair.”
According to Wissam Merheb, 38, owner of Heads-up, from Riffa, the look of the season is to have wavy, naturally-styled locks. He said: “We are here to give the ladies in the kingdom the best advice on our new products and styles.
“We will show them new hair treatments available, colours, styling techniques and since it’s the wedding season we will also be focusing on bridal looks.”
During the campaign, the Styling Lounge will also feature regular and exclusive showcases from a range of international brands including De Beers, J Boutique Ruzan, MaxMara, Lanvin, Marc Jacobs, Sufana, Al Othman, Fendi, Versace, Fawzia Al Nafea, Emernegildo Zenga and Canali.
The Lounge will be open until October 30 from 10am-1pm and 3pm-8pm.
